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December 16th, 2013
GH’s Ron Carlivati Addresses Vincent Irizarry As Valentin Rumor! Matt Borlenghi Clarifies His Tweet On If He Was Recast!

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto

This had been the talk of many a soap conversation over the last day which began with online rumors that circulated that All My Children favorite, Vincent Irizarry (Ex-David Hayward) had been tapped to play the role of Valentin Cassadine, and will begin to play the role sometime in mid to late 2014, the role once belonging to Matt Borlenghi!

Borlenghi had been originally tapped to play the role of Valentin, but due to James Franco coming on the canvas as “Franco” and that story moving forward at that time, the role was put on the back burner.

When Borlenghi read the rumors about Irizarry, he tweeted to Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati: “@carlivatiron@valentinifrank Anyone care to comment on recasting me as Valentin Cassadine? Wasn’t enough that I got Franco’d before? Hurts.”

To which that tweet got a reply from GH head writerCarlivati, who responded: “It’s a false rumor, Matt. No reason to be hurt or upset.”

Borlenghi then posted on the Gossip Gypsy this comment as a follow-up to their item: “First of all, I lashed out at nobody. I respect and admire Mr.’s Valentini and Carlivati immensely. Yes, I was hurt by the news of a re-cast. It opened an old wound of getting “Franco’d” the day after my first and only night of taping in the role of Valentin Cassidine, which I was extremely excited about doing. In my hurt I asked a question. That’s it. If, indeed, Mr. Irizarry gets the honor of playing Valentin for the wonderful GH fans and family, I wish him all the best. He is a terrific human being. As for those who replied in negative ways, well, I wish them the same peace and happiness that I wish for those who replied with support and compassion. Tomorrow is a new day… Happy holidays to all.”

So, what do you think of Borlenghi’s tweet and facebook message? Do you think Vincent Irizarry is truly coming to General Hospital as Valentin? Comment below!

I would love it if Vincent would join GH! Matt answered very honestly….but I don’t believe ABC…the fans have been lied to before. With that said….I think if Mr I is indeed coming to GH..we won’t know about it yet. These actors are sworn to secrecy. I have to say…I truly love Vincent, great actor, and nice man.

I so wish GH would create a role for Vincent Irizarry. Great actor, great energy – he could bring alot to the show. But with all the trouble ABC’s gotten themselves into by cancelling AMC and fighting with Prospect Park, who knows if the tangled web they’ve woven can be dissolved.

I think this show does not need anymore evil people. Unless Valentin is a nice Cassadine. As for this tweeting business I wish it would go away. Actors are known to be very needy and self absorbed people and attention seekers. Back in he day if they lost a role thy would go home get drunk and pout. Now hey have forums in which to express their personal and professional rants and it all comes across very unprofessional, very childish, and I’m sure much of it done under the influence of something. It is hard to take people seriously when they do things like that, especially something like this. This was not highly anticipated explosive casting news. It was like…”Oh yeah…that kid with the funky hair that played Hayleys boyfriend on All My Children 20 years ago.”. No offense to Matt…but he was never a big soap star. He was a teenage player for 2 years. And didn’t he get “Franco’d” out several years ago?James Franco started on the show like 4 years ago. That’s a long time to hold a grudge and then reckelssly tweet about it. This show has enouh newbies and enough villains and enough big name soap people without adding more. This is similar to Ronn Moss’ wife posting her message. VERY immature…very unprofessional…and I highly doubt she did it without his knowledge or consent. And if she did something like that which could potenially hurt her husband’s career without him knowing…then I hope he sets her straight. She maligned the business decisions of showrunners, she insulted a new actor, she implied her husband was irreplaceable, she talked down to fans, and made herself the subject of ridicule. According to all published reports…Ron left because he wanted to. A year later, upon recasting…to send a post like that means that there are hard feelings and bitterness. You don’t quit a job and then cry foul in social media later. The days of soap actors commanding mega salaries and holding their boses hostage in protracted negotiations are long gone. These people should be happy to have jobs. I wait tables for a living. Its not glamorous and very hectic work and when I come home at he end of the day with my 100 bucks in tips I am happy. It means I can eat and live and that Iam physically able to hustle my butt for 8 hours a day. I dot get to kiss glamorous leadig ladies and travel to exotic remote locations and sign autographs as job perks. If I did you can be sure I would be darn grateful for it…not quit it and then sulk a year later.

I could not have said this better myself. And yes, if someone is asking a professional question of someone, doesn’t it make sense to reach out personally to that person instead of sending out a tweet for everyone to see? He wanted the attention.

I definitely agree about Ron Moss’s wife. As for Valentin being a nice Cassadine, I wouldn’t count on it. According to Helena, Valentin hates both the Cassadines AND the Spencers and was determined to destroy both families. Of course that was from 2009, so they could easily retcon the character to be nice and say Helena lied or something.

I wrote several posts ago that i would like V.I. join GH…i suggested he play Jim Hastings, Laura’s doctor who follows her back to PC and later its revealed he is a Cassidine! And now i hear he might show up as a Cassidine? It would have been nice to see the actor who originated the role return but i dont remember him in the part because it must have been during a period i stopped watching! In that picture he looks something like Stuart Damon…maybe he could still return as a Quartimaine?…IMO

There’s nothing really to remember about him. Any scenes he may have taped never actually aired. I’m not sure we ever even saw a picture of him, so Matt Borlenghi never officially originated the role. He was supposed to air in October 2009, but James Franco decided he wanted to try out soap acting, so the show execs created the role of Franco for him and put Valentin Cassadine on the backburner. I’m not really sure why Matt Borlenghi is complaining at this point. Five years is a long time to hold a grudge over a character he never officially portrayed, and Ron and Frank weren’t even at GH back then.

I thought this, too, when AMC first went off the air. If OLTL characters and actors can join GH, so can ones from AMC.

However, with all the Prospect Park shenanigans for the past two years, I doubt GH would want to risk bringing and AMC character to their canvas and have those people from PP sue ABC again for some breach of something bs.

But if he did come on as a GH character, like Valentin Cassadine, that would be awesome! Thaao Penghlis is coming back as Victor, and TP and Vincent Irizzary look somewhat alike, so it could work! And VI is a great actor, as David Hayward on AMC and David Chow on Y&R back several years ago! My vote is yes, please!

I thought his question to Frank came off a little rude. Reading his explanation either he didn’t mean it in that manner or is backtracking. I really don’t have any idea of who they are casting in the future. My first concern would be to lighten the load we have right now and then think about more characters.

GossipGypsy is a junk tabloid. I am surprised Matt took the rumor on their word to begin with. I can understand his upset if he believed it to be true and I don’t think his tweet was out of line. Just the same, I think GossipGypsy is full of you know what.

While I thought it was unprofessional for this all to be aired over Twitter, I was happy to see RC answer in the way he did. The whole thing is rather odd, though. And you know what they say: where there’s smoke, there’s fire….

I met Matt at a AMC finale viewing party in Chicago back in 2011. I actually asked him what happened to him joining GH…and his exact answer was “You would need to ask James Franco that question”…so this guy really has been holding a grudge for a long time now!

I love VI, Id love to see him on GH, as anyone. But, lets work with the actors we have. Poor AJ waited for a trial 4-ever, then it just lasted for a short time. Now, the guy can’t get a storyline. We all KM, is leaving, so Robin will be gone. Lets build the Q’s story back up, thats what Im here for, I love them. Bring the Cassadines back. I love the old families.

Frankly, Matt Borlenghi is acting like a child. The role does not belong to him because he was once cast in it and never aired, so wondering if he was recast is sort of a stretch Also, Frank and Ron had nothing to do with that original casting, so I don’t know why he is whining to them. Different regime. The sideswipe against James Franco was pretty unnecessary too. James Franco is a MUCH bigger star than Matt Borlenghi will ever be. Sour grapes. That aside, I would love to see Vincent Irizarry in the role of Valentin.

Agreed, 100%. FV and RC were not part of GH back however many years ago, they have nothing to do with and of this. And Matt B didn’t even air as Valentin, so it’s not as if he truly originated the role, because we as viewers never got a chance to see him as Valentin. He shouldn’t be taking this personally or holding a grudge for this long. If FV wants Vincent Irizzary in the role, a role he’d do stellar in, it should happen! I, for one, would love it!

Matt Borlenghi was cast as Valentin Cassadine…
”Borlenghi had been originally tapped to play the role of Valentin, but due to James Franco coming on the canvas as “Franco” and that story moving forward at that time, the role was put on the back burner.”
IF, Valentin Cassadine, is to return then Matt Borlenghi should play him..

I don’t think Matt is being childish…. I remember his GH casting being announced as a big deal by the soap press. I get his annoyance – you’ve signed a contract, you’ve put your life in the hands of your employers and the soap press and fans are excited… and then pfft nothing. Who’s to say that Matt hasn’t had some fallout from that… In any job, being let go (no matter what the reason) on your first day is not good. So I can understand retaining his anger esp if there’s a rumor that someone is getting the job that should have been yours.

On the other hand, I’d take VI as a GH villain than Matt. Matt would be good on the show but in a different role. Maybe a good guy type.

On a related note, I actively missed the whole James Franco era other than a day or two a couple times a year to remind myself why I wasn’t watching.

Strictly from a story standpoint, it makes sense that the upcoming new Cassadine we know about (Victor) would need either a familial rival or a co-conspirator in the latest chapter of the Cassadine/Spencer/Scorpio feud. Enter Valentin. VI in this talented mature veteran mix fits much better than MB ever could IMO!

I really doubt that GH would be casting a role six months or more in advance. I fault Borlenghi for addressing his issue in a public forum instead of in private like a professional. He was hired years ago by a different crew at GH, the role of Valentin does not belong to him.

Not an Irizzary fan….would much rather see Ronn Moss as Valentin! Or some other big soap alum…this would have been a far better role for RoHo, but I’m not going to initiate another anti-Franco (2) discussion here,,,,,I can live with him doing what he’s doing, but I don’t think that the character and writing is serving him at all well at this current juncture.

Ronn Moss? Playing a possibly evil character? I can’t see that, mostly because he’s a terrible actor, but also because of his age… he’s over 60, and I don’t think GH would want to go that old with a new character, it might benefit more if they bring in a new 40-50 year old Cassadine, someone closer to Nik’s age.

But yeah, Ronn Moss as Valentin would flop, I hated him as Ridge on B&B (SO happy they recast him with Thorsten Kaye!) and I doubt he’d fit in here.

First off….cannot stand the “Ridge” recast with TK! Don’t like his acting style and most especially his less than refined scruffy, unkempt look! Yuck! (Feel the same about GH’s Car-LOS! and Peter Reckel, too…) Secondly, I just don’t see Irizzary as having that European “flair” befitting a Cassadine….it’s not always about the acting ability, but looking the part and having that certain je ne sais quoi that most Americans simply do not possess. Moss does have that….hence his great popularity in other parts of the world. Yes, he is older now, but he retains that quality. Besides Thaao Penghlis is close to 70 (and also looks great!) so they could be of the same generation of that family…wasn’t Victor the youngest of the brothers? And is Valentin not supposed to be the illegitimate son of eldest brother Mikkos? The thing about the role of Valentin is that neither his age nor much else has ever really been established, other than he is evil and crazy…he is a mystery on so many other levels. Yes, he was apparently intended to be younger with the Borlenghi casting (wasn’t crazy about that idea either…) but that sounds to be changeable with whomever “Cartini” decides to play this character. While I do understand your criticisms of RM, I still believe it would be a coup to get him on GH…even on a short term basis or as a different character, he would probably bring a lot of new viewers with him, as he is a soap favorite, whether he’s a good actor or not. And who knows? He may just do “bad” quite well….particularly if he thinks of the Bells as his “inspiration.”

Unfortunately, I think that the show is overcast as it is with too many recurring characters. It reminds me of OLTL, way too many characters. I think the writers need to clean house, beginning with nuMorgan and Lauren/Kiki. It’s unfortunate that we are teased with seeing the Quartermaines for a little bit; then, nothing. Take for instance, AJ and him sitting in prison, no air-time, hardly a mention. Then, a few days of his trial, he’s set free, etc.-very forced, rushed. I miss the Quartermaines. I miss the adventure of the 80′s. I miss the excitement of the 90′s. I miss supercouples. I miss cliff-hanger Fridays. I do love the Jerome family being back. Love Ava. Love Julian. Great casting choices.

I agree with the rushed story lines as well…..it starts as a fire and fizzles out into nothingness….

Off topic though I did not like the way they sent off Laura…. Loose ends….hse rushed to get married to Scotty… then boom he wants a divorce…then boom she’s going to Paris to get tested… to never return?

I would love to see Vincent as Valentin, he would be amazing. Recently, GH has made some pretty great casting choices, with Maura West as Ava Jerome and William DeVry as Julian, they’re both amazing actors and great characters. GH has a lot of cast members, though, and with the return of Ryan Carnes (Lucas) and Thaao Penghlis (Victor), I don’t know that now is the right time to introduce a new character, even though Vincent Irizzary would be an awesome and welcomed addition to the cast

While I regret to a degree having put my heart on the line in a public forum, this is 2014, and that’s become the standard in some ways.
I did not expect the vitriol spewed but some of the folks who see themselves as experts on the matter. Folks like Johnny above, who dares to insinuate that I was under the influence of something when I wrote what I wrote.
The fact is that I was honored to be in the position to bring Valentin to life. It was crushing to lose that opportunity. I felt connected to it immediately.
I know that role is gone. As I said, V.I. Is a terrific human being, and if he plays Valentin, God bless him.
All you folks who want to throw stones at me for being human, try acting human…
It requires compassion, not postulating and criticizing.
How about making that your 2014 Resolution?
All you that showed that compassion already, thank you.
MB

Matt, I agree with you about “being human”! I read these forums on occasion to see if I might get a clue if a rumor about a fave actor of mine is coming to a show I like. But, I most definitely disagree with the way some people handle themselves on these forums. They think it’s a place of free reign to ridicule and put people down. I especially hate when the posters start in on each other with insults, which (though I didn’t read every post) I didn’t see much of here, thank goodness. But, some people are run by their ego. They sit in judgement if others. Yes, we are all human and not one if us is without fault. I think possibly contacting the GH writers personally would’ve been a more professional route, esp since it’s a different set of chiefs now. However, I understand your hurt and why you did what you did in the heat of the moment. We all have regrets. Compassion and understanding are human qualities I treasure in others. God Bless you. Kudos for you giving Vincent Irizarry kudos !!

if they were smart, they would not create a NEW character for Vincent. They would bring on David Hayward. Much better than any stupid Cassadine. I’m bored with them. They are cartoon characters. They should have had David bring those people to live.

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